According to CryptoPotato, Solana (SOL) has experienced a significant increase in value throughout 2023, with notable growth in mid-December. Google search interest in Solana has recently exceeded that for Ethereum, particularly in countries like Spain and the Philippines. Along with its rise in search popularity, Solana has also seen a surge in trading volume and has outperformed Ethereum in certain other metrics.

Solana's price has increased by 1,000% since January 1, hovering around $107 as of now. The token's value has gradually increased throughout the year, with the most rapid pace occurring in mid-December. This could be one reason why Solana searches on Google have surpassed those for Ethereum since then. Solana currently has an index of 56, while Ethereum has an index of 51. Google searches are usually a trailing indicator, which tends to increase after the price goes up.

Solana has gained the most popularity in Spain and the Philippines, while residents of Brazil, Poland, and Finland remain much more interested in Ethereum. Google's data shows that people from the countries searching for Solana have also shown significant interest in Bonk Inu (BONK) – a memecoin built on the network. The dog-themed crypto asset made headlines earlier this month when its price reached an all-time high, and its market capitalization surged above the $2 billion mark.

Besides becoming more popular on Google, Solana has succeeded in a few other fields. On-chain trading volume jumped to a peak of over $2.6 billion on December 22, staying above the $1.2 billion level until December 27, surpassing Ethereum's. In the past few days, however, ETH reclaimed its lead, registering a trading volume of more than $2 billion on December 28 versus $1.1 billion for Solana. The non-fungible token niche also witnessed some shifts. Solana NFT sales volume hit almost $75 million in the last week, outpacing Ethereum, which comprised approximately $72 million.